Thanks to everyone who joined yesterday's App Builder Qrew Meetup. Deep Shah (Tarrant County) and Christine Suarez (Quickbase TAM) walked through a real app that uses Secure Links so external users can schedule inspection appointments without signing in.
What Deep and Christine Shared
- The problem: A new state requirement replaced a self-service portal for mobile food unit vendors. The state now sends inspection data, and vendors can only schedule within a 14-day window.
- How it's built: Imported data goes to a staging table and is validated before any records are created. The calendar auto-generates from a template that skips weekends and county holidays.
- Secure Links: Each appointment gets a unique link. Once a vendor picks a time, the link locks, so they can't change it later.
How Secure Links Work
- The link: A formula builds a URL with an access key (a SHA256 hash of the record ID and a timestamp).
- The check: A formula field uses GetAccessKey to confirm the key in the URL is valid.
- The permission: The Everyone on the Internet role gets a custom rule that grants access only when that check passes.
Qrew Tips
- Share your wildest requirements up front. Tell your builder exactly what you need, then figure out what's possible.
- Keep imports away from end users. A staging table and validation step prevent one bad file from creating records for everyone.
- Use related tables. Secure Links can pull permissions through relationships into child records.
- Hide the native Save button with HS=1. Add HS=1 alongside IFV=1 to control where users go after they submit. This is especially useful for external users filling out forms.
- Hide navigation with IFV=1 for a cleaner external experience.
- Use nextURL to redirect users after saving, such as to a thank-you page.
- Test in incognito. A signed-in browser session can mask problems.
- Keep the access key in every link. If it drops, users hit a sign-in screen.
- Think beyond secure links. GetAccessKey can pull values from any URL parameter.
Secure Link Setup Resources
- Quickbase Exchange: Search "secure" to install the secure link templates, including the nextURL version.
- Secure Links setup
- What anonymous users can access
- Note: Secure Links require a Business or Enterprise plan. They are not available on Teams.
Missed the meeting? Here’s the recording
Thanks again to Deep and Christine! If folks have additional questions or feedback, please share them below.